Demoralised but not depraved: Why societal lack of norms disheartens people but does not necessarily make them commit moral transgressions

Ol’ha Maksymenko - Department of Methodology and Methods of Sociology, leading sociologist, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2804-2790

Abstract. Since the early days of sociology, the anomie phenomenon has interested many social scientists. A number of theories have been developed, a host of empirical studies (including cross-national) have been performed since Emile Durkheim described this phenomenon and introduced the “anomie” term. Still, there is no general consensus among scholars on what anomie is and what it is not. A hard-and-fast definition of anomie has not yet been given, and what is more, researchers look at this phenomenon from at least two different perspectives: individual and institutional, explaining it as a “state of mind” or a “state of society” respectively. In terms of society, anomie has mostly been associated with malfunctioning social institutions and breakdown of moral standards, as is evidenced by high crime rates and public justification of unethical behaviour. On the other hand, living even in a “totally anomic” society and experiencing a whole range of anomie-driven emotions and reactions does not necessarily mean acting immorally. To what extent is the thesis about a link between anomie and moral decline of society applicable at individual level? The author seeks to answer this question.

Keywords: anomie as a “state of mind”, anomie as a “state of society”, anomic demoralisation, moral decay, moral principles, standing out from the crowd

Publication in: eng

References

Durkheim, E. (2013). Le Suicide: Etude de sociologie. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

Merton, R. K. (1938). Social structure and anomie. American Sociological Review, 3(5), 672–682.

MacIver, R. M. (1950). The ramparts we guard. New York: Macmillan Publishers.

Golovakha, E., & Panina N. (1996). Democratisation in the Ukraine under conditions of post-totalitarian anomie: The need for a new human rights developmental strategy. In H. Dekker, R. F. Farnen, D. B. German, & R. Meyenberg (Eds.), Democracy, socialisation and conflicting loyalties in East and West: cross-national and comparative perspectives (pp. 242–261). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-14059-6_10

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Demoralised but not depraved: Why societal lack of norms disheartens people but does not necessarily make them commit moral transgressions

stmm. 2019 (2): 187-190

UDC 316.4

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2019.02.187